Apartment Fire Displaces Four Residents (Photo) - 05/21/26

At 5:07pm on Thursday May 21st, Forest Grove Firefighters were dispatched to a reported fire located in the 2600 block of 21st Avenue, this is the College Place Apartments. Fire crews arrived to a single story four unit apartment building with an exterior fire that had spread to the interior of the apartment. Firefighters began extinguishing the fire, but found it had also spread to the shared attic space for the building. Crews had to enter the adjoining apartment units to check for fire spread in the attic space. It took firefighters approximately 30 minutes to deem the incident under control. 

The apartment where the fire started suffered severe fire, smoke and water damage, while adjoining apartments had varying damage from water, smoke and overhaul operations. Four occupants from the four units will be displaced due to the damage, they're receiving assistance from the Red Cross. No citizens or firefighters were injured during the incident. 
 

The cause of the fire is under investigation, but started on the back deck of one of the apartments

Due to the age of the building, it was not equipped with an automatic fire sprinkler system or fire walls in the attic. A modern constructed apartment building would have had these these fire safety features. 

Forest Grove Fire & Rescue was assisted on scene by Cornelius Fire Department, Hillsboro Fire & Rescue, Gaston Fire District, Banks Fire District, AMR Washington County, Forest Grove Police Department and Forest Grove Light & Power. 
 

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